HISTORY

The association is a professional organization of chief law-enforcement officers primarily from 17 counties in the central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Those 17 counties are:

Adams, Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Centre, Clearfield, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntington, Juniata, Lancaster, Mifflin, Perry, Somerset and York.           

On June 25th, 1957, 25 police chiefs from the Central Pennsylvania area, met in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. They agreed that a regional organization of Chiefs of Police, larger than any existing individual county organizations was needed to address police issues and problems common to the Central Pennsylvania area and to work with the statewide Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association in analyzing and addressing those problems. The CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA CHIEFS OF POLICE ASSOCIATION was formed. Chief Vaul E. Rouzer of Altoona, who also at that time was First Vice-President of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, was elected as the first President of the Central Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. Charles R. Griffith, Chief of Police at Johnstown, was elected Vice-President, and Lester C. Yost, former Chief of Police, Altoona Works of the Pennsylvania Railroad was elected Secretary-Treasurer.

Over the years, the association has grown from the original 25 members to its current membership of approximately 160 individuals.  Many changes have occurred since the Association was formed.  Initially the Association had only one position on the Executive Board of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association while other regional organizations in the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association had two.  In 1989, the Central Chiefs Association was able to get the membership of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association to vote for an additional position on the Pennsylvania Chiefs Executive Board thereby making Central Chiefs equally represented on that Board as are the other regional associations. On July 9,1999, the Association was incorporated as a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and is governed in accordance with the Non-Profit Corporation Law of 1988, 15 Pa. C.S, Section 5301, et seq.

The Central Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association's Executive Board and members normally meet four times a year. Usually those meetings are held in various locations throughout Central Pennsylvania during the months of March, June, October and December.  The annual meeting of the Association is held during and in conjunction with the annual Education and Training Conference of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association, which is held in July of each year.

The Central Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association Executive Board consists of 18 members of the Association and that Central Chiefs' Executive Board is charged with conducting, managing and directing the business and affairs of the Association. The 18 member Board is composed of the following officers and members:

■ President elected by the Association membership;

■ First and Second Vice Presidents elected by the Association membership;

■ Secretary elected by the Association membership;

■ Treasurer elected by the membership of the Association;

■ Immediate Past President of the Association;

■ Representative of Active Retired Members;

■ Four Representatives of the Association Contingent to the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association Executive

   Board elected by the Association membership; Six Representative elected by the Association membership;

Retired member represents the retired members of the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association.

■ Chaplain appointed by the President of the Association; and

■ Sergeant-At-Arms appointed by the President of the Association.

 Central Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association